


On His Own

by Shadowbeast123



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, I own nothing but my OCs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-01
Updated: 2017-11-04
Packaged: 2019-01-27 18:13:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12587712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowbeast123/pseuds/Shadowbeast123
Summary: After being abandoned by his birth parents, and getting kicked out of multiple foster homes. Jack was used to living on his own, and doing things himself. So it was a bit hard for him to accept a helping hand from others, even when they meant well.





	1. Chapter 1

If Jack had to name one holiday he hated, it would be Halloween. Because as a homeless teenager who spent most of his evenings in search of any food he could find; Halloween gave him way too many witnesses. Not to mention the things that happened in the alleys behind bars and restaurants on that night; things he shouldn't be seeing, and could go his whole life without seeing.

"Come on guys, let's go this way!" a trick-or-treater called to his friends, ushering them along to another house that was giving out candy. The group of kids not being any older than twelve from what Jack could see from the fire escape he was hanging out on.

Climbing down from the fire escape to go find some food, Jack flipped up the hood on his hoodie, and checked a few dumpsters and trashcans. But just his luck, someone would see him and chase him away. And it was the same result at three other places.

"I hate Halloween," he grumbled, hearing his stomach growl because he hadn't eaten in a few days.

Hearing someone sniffle, Jack turned his head to the left, half expecting to see a drunk person dressed in a scantily clad costume, crying because they were the hysterical kind of drunk, or they had just gotten dumped. But instead, he saw a little girl dressed as Alice from 'Alice in Wonderland' sitting on the sidewalk sobbing, an empty candy bucket sitting beside her while he looked around and saw all of the houses were closing up for the night. And not wanting this girl to have a bad experience with Halloween, he went down the street to the local convenience store, and snatched a bag of assorted candy from the shelves. Hiding it under his hoodie, and going back to the little girl; who was unfortunately still on the sidewalk, because thought that her parents would have been looking for her by now since she couldn't have been any older than three.

Taking the bag of candy out of his jacket, Jack ripped it open, and dumped the contents into her empty pumpkin bucket. Wiping away her tears, and scooping her up into his arms to take her home. And it was not too difficult to figure out which house was hers when her mom ran up to him, and took her back from him; leaving him standing there without so much as a thank you.

"You're very welcome!" he called after before he walked away and went home. Which, by home, it was the fire escape on the side of the local toy store, which was the shop, and four floors above it where people lived. But him being homeless, he just pretty much lived on the fire escape because he didn't have anywhere else to go, and the local teen shelter could only let him stay for so long.

Climbing the fire escape up to the top floor of the building, he could faintly smell whatever was being cooked in the apartment on the other side of the window, and peeked in. Seeing Nicholas St. North, or as everyone called him, North, cooking some sort of soup on the stove; and the smell made his stomach growl again because he hadn't eaten in so long.

"No food, don't get thanks for bringing a kid home. What next?" he grumbled, leaning on the fire escape just as Toothiana, the local dentist with a bubbly and bright personality, came back from work and went up to her apartment.

"Jack," North said from behind him in his thick Russian accent, almost making Jack jump out of his skin. "What you doing on fire escape? Have you no home?"

"North!" he stammered, trying to think of a lie. "I was just uh...I was-I-I was..."

"Why don't you come in? Eat food," North said to him. "We'll talk later."

Wanting to take North up on the offer, and get off the fire escape. Jack almost went into North's apartment. But he hesitated since the last few places he stayed at kicked him out after a month for a multitude of reasons.

"Um...no thanks," he said, grabbing his backpack. "Maybe some other time."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," he said, climbing down from the fire escape. "I'll see you around North."

Walking away from the building, Jack found another building to stay at, and broke into one of the vacant apartments on the top floor through an unlocked window. Climbing through it, and tossing his backpack to the floor just as a mouse scurried across the floor and into another part of the apartment. And for a split second, he thought about just going back to North's place, and staying there. But he was just so used to his other foster families throwing him out, and being on his own that he couldn't bring himself to accept the offer.

_It's not much,_ he thought, laying down on the floor, and resting his head on his backpack to try and get some sleep before he had to get up for school tomorrow. _But it's better than nothing._


	2. Chapter 2

_Damn it, damn it, damn it,_ Jack thought as he ran down the street, having forgotten to set his alarm to get up for school; leaving him sprinting to get there on time.

Jumping up the front steps to the school, Jack skidded to a halt in front of his locker, and caught his breath. Opening his locker to get a book out of it, only to run into the one issue that has plagued him since childhood; which was he couldn't read. Because his biological family moved constantly, and didn't really set aside enough time to teach him to read, or stay long enough to put him and his sister in school; so words and letters on pages were just squiggles and lines to him. Hell, the only reason he made it to senior year without doing any of the work was because an old buddy of his would steal the password to the school's main computer and change his grades around so he could pass with C's and B-'s. But unfortunately, that friend was recently expelled for that reason, so now his true colors were starting to show. And it wasn't good.

Grabbing what he hoped was the right book, Jack rushed to his class, which was not that difficult to find since by this point in the school year it was just part of his routine, and sat down at his desk; way in the back of the room where the teacher hopefully wouldn't single him out to read a question. But just his luck, he would get called on for not paying attention, and would stammer out a response trying to hide the fact that he couldn't read a single thing.

"Perhaps Mr. Frost, if you would pay more attention, you would know the answer," the teacher said, turning back to the board behind him while the students next to Jack shared a few chuckles at his expense. Which only made Jack put his hood up again, and try to hide the few tears that slid down his face. But the second me made eye contact with the girl in front of him, he got up and left; only to get stopped in the hallway, and get a detention slip for violating the dress code, in regards to his white hair.

Ripping up the detention slip because he was not going to go to another detention for what was now his natural hair after its original brown shade faded away throughout his middle school years. Jack went to the library since it was the only place he could really be alone, and hid amongst the shelves until the urge to break down subsided. Grabbing a book from one of the shelves, and attempting to read it; but that just gave him a headache.

"You okay, Jackie Boy?" a voice asked him. That voice belonging to no other than Juliana Connor, or as he called her, Julie; who was pretty much the angel of the library because was insanely beautiful and was almost always in the library.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he lied. "Just doing some light reading."

"I thought you couldn't read," she said, raising her dark eyebrow in confusion because there was an incident last year when the two of them had detention, and the teacher watching over them had verbally beat down Jack when he had trouble writing his name.

"Alright, you caught me," he sighed. "I was trying to learn how to read."

"That's more like it," she said, taking his book from him. "And if you really want to learn to read. You may want to start with something a little easier. Say, at first grade level."

"Julie, it's bad enough I can't read. I don't want the entire school to know," he said.

"They don't have to, just hide it in a different book," she said to him. "And tell me this, if you can't read. How was it you were able to identify the bag of candy you gave Sophie Bennett last night?"

"I can identify colors and pictures. And that's not the point," he said to her. "Think you can tutor me or something? Please? I really need to pass senior year so I can get out of this hellhole. I cannot get held back."

"Jack, you're telling me to teach you how to read about History and Shakespeare, and do complex equations." she said to him. "I can't teach you all of that. Why don't you ask the counselor to sign you up with a tutor more qualified for the job?"

"I'm begging you," he pleaded. "Please."

"Fine," she sighed. "I'm already tutoring a twelve year old on weekends anyway. We'll meet at your place tomorrow...which is..."

"Above the toy shop on eighth street," he said. "Apartment 2B."

"Great," she said. "I'll see you around four tomorrow then."

"Alright," he said. Watching her as she walked away, only to almost jump out of his skin when one of the art teachers, Sanderson Mansnoozie, or Sandy as he preferred to be called, was standing right beside him; giving him a disapproving look.

"What?" he asked.

"You just gave her Bunnymund's address," Sandy said in sign language.

"So what? Bunnymund's on vacation until Easter," he said to the short man beside him. "What's the worse that can happen?"

"I can name a few different things," Sandy signed behind Jack's back as the white haired teen made his way out of the library. Imaginary smoke coming out of his ears because he was frustrated that Jack was not listening to him.


	3. Chapter 3

"Jack, I'm telling you. Bunny's not going to be happy that you broke into his apartment, and had a girl over," Sandy said to Jack in sign language as he walked with Jack back to the toy shop because Sandy lived in one of the apartments above the shop too.

"Sandy, you're overreacting," Jack said to the short golden haired man. "I'll be gone before he gets back. It's just for a few weeks."

"Jack, the highest you can go in a few weeks is a fourth grade level," Sandy signed. "And that's at the very most at this point in your life. If you ask me, this is more about getting to know Juliana."

"It's not like that!" Jack argued as they passed by the local playground. "This really is a study session."

"One that is going to take place in North's living room where he can keep an eye on you," Sandy signed to him.

"Oh, come on Sandy. That's not fair," he said.

"Neither is breaking into Bunnymund's apartment just to hide the fact that you're homeless," Sandy signed to him, making the white haired teen's eyebrows to up in shock. "Yeah, that's right. I've seen you digging around in the trashcans at night."

"Sandy, I am not meeting up with Juliana at North's apartment," he said to him as he opened the gate to the playground to cut through to the other side.

"But North's door is always open to you," Sandy signed.

"So I've been told," Jack said, rolling his eyes. "That was also the last thing my last foster guardian said to me before he and his wife split up, and kicked me out. So forgive me for being skeptical to the statement."

"Hey Mr. Snoozie," Toothiana's daughter Baby Tooth called from the swings.

"Hello sweetheart," Sandy signed.

"What are you still doing here? I thought you would have gone home an hour ago?" Jack asked her.

"My mom has to work late, and the principal won't let me leave without an adult," she said, trying to get her swing to move. "Can you push me?"

"Okay," Jack said, getting up behind her, and pulling her swing towards him before letting go of the chains; watching her swing back and forth, and pushing her higher when she asked him to.

"Higher Jack! Higher!" Baby Tooth called as he pushed her again.

"Alright," he said, catching the swing as it came back towards him, and pushing her as high as he could. Only to push her a bit too high, and have the swing do a full circle around the swing set; Jack bolting out in front of Baby Tooth as she let go of the swing, and crashed right into him, knocking him to the ground.

"Are you two okay?" Sandy signed as Baby Tooth got up.

"Can we do that again?" she asked, making both Sandy and Jack breathe a sigh of relief.

"Maybe tomorrow," Jack said, getting up from the ground. "Let's get you home so you can get your homework done."

"But I don't wanna do my homework," she whined.

"But if you don't do your homework, then you can't play," he said, kneeling down so he was back to her level. "And you do like to play, don't you?"

"Yeah," she said.

"Then let's get you home, and the sooner you get your homework done, the sooner we can play."

"Okay."

"Wonderful," he said, scooping Baby Tooth up into his arms, and walking home with her. Waiting for her to unlock the door, and helping her with her math homework while Sandy made dinner. And out of all the subjects in school, math was the only one he didn't need extra help on because one of his previous foster parents had actually taken the time to teach him the subject; unlike the others who either assumed he knew everything in his grade level for his age, or didn't have enough time to teach him because he didn't tell them he couldn't read. Which was why when Baby Tooth pulled out a writing assignment, he hesitated.

"I'm home," Tooth called, entering the apartment to see a white haired teenager helping her daughter with her homework, and Sandy cooking dinner. "Oh, Sandy. I didn't know you were over. Who's this?"

"Oh that's Jack, he's one of the students at my school," Sandy signed. "I asked him to help me out with babysitting Baby Tooth while you were at work."

"Mom, can Jack stay over for dinner?" Baby Tooth asked.

"I don't know," Tooth said. "I'd have to check with his parents."

"Oh, don't worry. I'll call them right now," Sandy signed before he pulled his phone out and pretended to dial in a number; accidentally calling Bunnymund by mistake.

Taking the phone from Sandy, Jack prepared to pretend to talk to static, and almost dropped the cellular device when he heard a grumpy Australian accent on the other line.

"What is it? What do you want?"

"Hey dad," Jack said, knowing he had to keep pushing through with this charade because Sandy dug him in too deep. "I was wondering if I could stay at a friend's house for dinner."

"What are you going on about? Who is this?" Bunny asked as Jack tried to keep a straight face. "Is this a crank call?"

_You have no idea,_ Jack thought as he caught Tooth's gaze and gulped.

"But dad," Jack whined into the phone, knowing Tooth would find it very suspicious that his 'father' would be willing to let him stay at a friend's house without talking to Tooth first.

"Who is this? Don't make me come find you, because I will hunt you down and-"

"Okay, I'll see you later," he sighed before hanging up the phone and looking at Baby Tooth. "Sorry Baby Tooth, but I can't stay over."

"Okay," Baby Tooth pouted as Jack picked up his backpack, and patted her on the head.

"Hey, don't be sad. We'll play again some other time. Okay?"

Seeing her nod, Jack gave the little girl a hug, and swung his backpack over his shoulder; telling Tooth it was nice to meet her before saying goodnight to Sandy, and going back to the vacant apartment he had stayed in the night before. Not even bothering to go looking for food tonight because everyone was out cleaning up after Halloween.

Hearing someone tap on the window while he was trying to sleep, Jack groaned, and tried to ignore the incessant tapping because he already knew who it was: his previous foster father, Pitch Black. Who, since the horrifying divorce from his ex-wife, and the loss of custody of his daughter; had gone pretty much off the deep end. Last time Jack ran into him after getting given back to the state, Pitch attempted to break into the toyshop during Easter and break all of the decorations; almost getting both of them arrested.

"Go away, Pitch," he muttered under his breath, trying to drown out the tapping to go to sleep; knowing it was going to be a rough night of doing so.


End file.
